San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-02-25

lazy loon as yer are, or I'll know the
reason whal Lord luv usl' she con-
cluded with weary sigh, as she bent
her own back TO the burthen, and the
joint efforts of the pair once more set
the numbering wheels In motion; this
'ere's boot tn last flicker. / reckon Use
spent-I'se fairly spent! Hi merry
Chrissermas for sum, ma dOot," she
added, with unconscious irony, as a
barrow, grooming beneath its freight
of evergreens and gay flags and baubles,
came in momentary contact with her
elbow, the while the sturdy boy in
charge, with rudy cheeks and glowing
nose, shouted Justify TO the passers-by:
THE compliments O. tn saysonl Mer-
RE Christmas! Won't you buy, buy,
buy?"
Then on, on again without further
let or hindrance, down the Strand, past
Clearinghouse, out through some bye
streets into Waterloo-place, thence in
due course to Picadilly-circus, where
for one moment only Margot paused; to
regain breath perhaps, for she was
breathing stertorously now, and she
pressed one hand heavily to her
side.
Good Loord-Good Loordl" she
groaned, gazing strangely at the sea Of
faces which hurried past on every side,
regardless of her pain.
"Wheer's ganginY" Greta ventured
for the first time to break silence inter-
negatively at this juncture, glancing up
askance into the woman's face.
But there was no response; so the
child sucked her threepenny bit the
harder, amusing herself by pressing her
tongue through certain round hole in
one corner, and thus in some measure
succeed in forgetting she was weary,
hungry, numb with cold, as we're surely
many thousand Others that same night
in the wealthiest city in the world.
Thus hath it been, and ever shall be,
till Time lays down his hour-glass, for
the poor shall never cease out of the
land. Yet, none the less, the rich and
prosperous must eat, drink, and make
merry whatsoever opportunity pre-
sents.
On again, rounding the corner now at
last, up Piccadilly, past Burlington
House, and down Constitution-hill in
due course. The broadway here is
comparatively deserted, the busy, bust
ling crowd is elsewhere; only few
carriages and hansom-cabs spin hither
and thither over the slippery wood
paving, their bright lamps glistening
through the night like colossal glow
worms or fire-flies; the leafless trees be-
hind the gaunt palings of the Green
Park frowning menacingly on the
scene, as they stretch forth their
snow-laden branches, like grisly arms
in benediction DER needless world.
Margot once more comes to a full
stop, "Oh, my Loord!" escaping her
ashen lips; then, without other pre-
monitory sign or symptom, she STUN
bles, staggers, sways, and falls-falls
downward on the piano in huddled
heap, so that t'were hard to say, at
passing glance, whether she is merely
crouching over her instrument prepare
tory to making night hideOus once again
with its harsh, discOrdant wall, or
whether the human clock has stopped
at last, never to, be set in motion
more.
And Greta, too, stands still, some
what to rearward, however, and leaning
luxuriously up against friendly pillar
post, whilst she placidly awaits the is
sue of events. She is very tired now,
poor little soul, and oh, so hungry
The cold night air seems to have
numbed her childish brain; she is con-
scious just now only of hunger and IA
tigue, well-nigh oblivious even of the
fact that she still holds the silver coin
fast between her teeth.
Someone has stopped, anxiously re-
garding Margot. Someone who, now
advancing, lays hand upon the wom-
ans arm.
Yet she moves not. "We1, what
matter?" modify the child reflects.
Three times already unavailingly she
has asked: ''Wheer ganging?" Three
times a grunt has been Margot's sole
reply. But now-ahl two other figures
bend over the recumbent form, and
then, at length-yes, surely, a stalwart
policeman to the rescue. Oh, the flash
of his dreaded bull's-eyel
Then, scarce knowing why or where
fore, in no wise pausing to reflect, but
yielding simply to some instinct of
self-preseryation, the child, after one
brief agoniZed glance round, turns and
swiftly flies down the broad frosted
pavement with fleet and nimble feet,
some haZy notion in her mind that thus
may she best escape 9Th peeler;" thus
only inspect anew, in her palm, beneath
some friendly lamp-post, that newly
tween her teeth.
AM w bllO lClb oil OpCh olOo cow
the stone steps within in deepest shad-
ow; no light from kitchen-window be-
low, no light from the portico above.
Instinctively the child turns in; on the
third step she crouches down close to
the cold stone coping, her bony elbows
on her knees, her lean face supported
on her poor numb hands-a huddled
shapeless heap, vague notion upper
most in her whirling brain that here
she is safe and may rest-rest until
1.-THE boobies gang'd," rest until Mar
COTS "off," when she-ahl well, she'll
steal out then to the nearest light, and
inspect her threepenny-bitl
Not yet, however-ohl no, not yeti
N-oty-etl for little Greta's head sud
denly falls forward-the child is fast
asleep.
CHAPTER II.